Albany Youth Support Association granted $10,000 for youth rental support program Ready to Rent

The leading youth service provider in Albany and the Great Southern has received $10,000 to help youth who are homeless or at risk of homelessness with renting. Albany Youth Support Association was awarded funds from the State Government’s 2024 Youth Engagement Grants Program for its Ready to Rent program, which helps young people with renting by teaching them critical life skills. AYSA CEO Ian Clarke said the program covered the basic rules of renting plus the rights and responsibilities of being a tenant. “This program is effectively a youth worker that works with young people building their skills and knowledge around renting and all of those aspects of the reality of life effectively,” he said. “This money is going to go towards continuing to build our educational information that goes out to schools as well as to those young people that disengage from schools.” He said the “vast majority” of people who went through the program were successful and were provided with a certificate to prove training and development to real estate agents. “That lends a little bit more credence with real estate agencies because they know that young person is being supported by and has also received that training,” Mr Clarke said. Two other Great Southern youth organisations also received money from the grants program. Wanslea Limited got $5000 for its 2024 Deadly Sisters Camp for girls aged 10 to 12 in the Plantagenet area, and $10,000 went to Youth Disability Advocacy Network Inc for its Empowering Young Leaders in Disability WA program in the Great Southern. Youth Minister Hannah Beazley said the grants program supported initiatives and programs that empower young people. “These programs foster collaboration providing young people with resources to drive meaningful engagement and opportunities,” she said. “I’m continually inspired by the creativity of young people to drive positive change in their communities.”